Take a look at last week, when the Raiders looked mighty while dumping the Broncos at Oakland. The Raiders home, MacAfee Coliseum, is a strange destination, and not only because the fans wear costumes and look ready for a "Star Trek" convention.

What was weird was the overwhelming nostalgia. Hundreds of fans wore Raiders jerseys. There were Jim Otto jerseys and Bo Jackson jerseys and Ted Hendricks jerseys, but I didn't see a fan wearing the number of a current player.

After the game, fans rejoiced and seemed ready to return to the present tense. They had conquered the Broncos. They were happy.

It was a mirage. When the Raiders roamed outside the friendly confines of the AFC West, they were bombarded, 38-7, Sunday by a banged-up Brett Favre and his Packers.

The San Diego Chargers have revived and might even mount a run in the playoffs, but the rest of the division lies in shambles. The Broncos, Raiders and Chiefs have lost 15 games and won only seven while competing outside the AFC West.

Look at the Detroit Lions. After losing five straight games, the Lions have fumbled a chance at the playoffs, but their fans can take comfort in one almost-certain victory. The Lions, who outscored the Raiders and Broncos, 80-28, play the Chiefs Dec. 23.

The Broncos, who aren't very good, destroyed the Chiefs on Sunday. Brandon Marshall treated the game as a party, tossing around snow after dancing past helpless Chiefs defenders for touchdowns.

The Kansas City locker room was virtually empty. The remaining players talked in whispers. It was a sad place.

Linebacker Derrick Johnson stood in front of his locker. He looked dazed. He sounded confused.